15 May
1998
15 May
'98
6:24 p.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Date: Saturday, 16
May 1998 11:10
Subject: Re: North Star Horizon
could
> Agreed with the previous gentlemen. My latest
blind rescue was that 68020
> Cadnetix system, where the company went under 10 years ago and every
> technical document on it seems to have ended up in a Colorado landfill. I
> finally tracked down one of the original engineers (from on-line resumes,
> of all things) to get some info on it. Granted, it's still dead (and from
> what I've learned, probably will stay that way forever) but I'll be
damned
Don't say that ! Somehow it can be got to work again. It'll take time,
but it would certainly be interesting.
these
if I didn't learn quite a lot from it. As for
wanting a specific machine,
I have spent my entire life lusting after machines that I have never even
seen in person, let alone had detailed hardware experience with! What is
Yes, but presumably you had reasons for wanting these machines, other
than 'I want an Altair, they're cool'
> it that really makes us want these machines, anyway? Not to say that machines are
useless, but nobody collects classic computers because of
their amazing processor speed or mammoth memories. It's a much more
Well, I particularly like machines with features that are not found on
more modern stuff - toggle-switch panels, demountable hard disks, vector
graphic displays, writeable microcode, etc.
> rounded aesthetic, having to do with colours, shapes, sounds, etc. I
I've said it before - I really couldn't care what a machine looks like. The
circuit diagrams are the interesting thing for me.
email: desieh(a)southcom.com.au
desieh(a)bigfoot.com
museum_curator(a)hotmail.com
Apple Lisa Web Page:
http://www.southcom.com.au/~desieh/index.htm
I have own a NorthStar Horizon very nice little computer abit heavy, mines
in the wooden box and has a pair of 5 1/4" floppy drives in the front and
yes it runs off an terminal.....
mine even has full docs and the origianl receipt of purchates from around
1976.....
many of the cards inside it arom from an Altair if my memory is correct...
A VDM -1? i think thats whats its called...anyway in the manual for this
video card it has the source code for the programmng code for a Altair and
IMSAl mechines....
only around 30,000 of these fine mechines where ever built so i would say
that they are very rare these days....
easily *see* a computer that *looks* interesting
and ask for one by name,
without even knowing where the power switch is. That's the whole fun of
it.
True... Especially at radio rallies where you see something odd and pay a
few pounds/dollars to take it home. No idea what it actually is - it's
just interesting...
Aaron
-tony